Newspaper Towers

Newspaper Towers — How high and how strong can you make your tower?
Materials:
- Newspaper
- Tape (masking tape works well)
- A book, to be a weight
What to do:
Strong Towers
- Take a sheet of newspaper and experiment with making different shapes with it.
- Place the book on top. Does it hold the book up? If not, how could you change your shape to make it stronger? Tip for adults: A rolled cylinder can be quite strong, especially if several cylinders are taped together side by side
- Take more sheets and make more shapes. How strong can you make your newspaper structure?
Tall Towers
- Now try making a tall structure.
- How can you fold or roll your newspaper to make a long or tall shape?
- Try taping several pieces together. How high can you go? Can you make a tower that is taller than you?
- If your tower starts to fall over, how can you solve that problem? How can you make it stronger?
- Think about towers you’ve seen out in the real world. How are they built?
Contact education@vinsweb.org with questions or comments.